The court proceedings have begun, meaning new information has become available regarding how something like this could happen. While none of it is logical, it should put weight on parent’s shoulders everywhere.

[via: nydailynews.com]Payton’s parents explained on ABC’s 20/20 the relationship between Morgan & their daughter. They’d been best friends since the 4th grade & Payton was excited about Morgan’s birthday party. With no reason for concern, they dropped her off expecting to hear stories of the night she’d been looking forward to. Instead, the following morning a detective & uniformed officer were knocking on their door.

When Stacie and Joe Leutner heard who was responsible for attacking their daughter, they searched their minds for any other alternative. Morgan was a young girl who had been in their home many times, over several years.

Payton was stabbed 19 times; one wound missing a major artery by the width of a human hair.

As a parent, the first thing that enters my mind is…

I can’t even feel safe sending my child over to a friends house anymore.

Morgan’s parents dabbled in some dark hobbies and while that may provide an answer or two regarding why their daughter showed interest in fictional characters like Slenderman, she also had notebooks with disturbing drawings & dismembered Barbie dolls with cult symbols scribbled on their bodies.

Even if her parents knew of those [obviously questionable] items, additionally, in her bedroom, she had a list of supplies that she would need to attack Payton.

[via: nydailynews.com]Anissa & Morgan planned this & after their plan was complete, they left Payton in the woods as they walked away; on their way to a nonexistent mansion in the woods, to become Slender Man’s proxies.

[via: newsweek.com]A bicyclist went off the beaten path that morning and found the bleeding, injured girl laying in the grass, gasping for help. Ironically, this man went on a chained off, restricted path… what are the odds?

“There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed.”

[Napoleon Bonaparte]

While Payton was being operated on in a hospital bed, fighting for her life, her best friend was being interviewed by detectives.

In an interrogation room, Morgan told a story about how oddly calm they were as they walked down the road, covered in blood.

[via: wkow.com]

Detective: “Silver Man?”

Anissa: “No. Slender Man.”

Detective: “Oh, Slender Man.”

Morgan: “And he has tendrils that are very sharp.”

Detective: “Do you see him in your dreams? Or where do you see him at?”

Morgan: “Oh, I see him in my dreams.”

They claimed the motive was simple, to prove Slenderman’s existence.

Anissa: “So, I decided to go along, tag along, to prove the skeptics

[via: ign.com]wrong.”

Detective: “Ok, so did you think you actually had to kill somebody to prove it?”

Anissa: “Yeah.”

Detective: “Like for real?”

Anissa: “Yeah.”

Detective: “Ok.”

Later, it’s questioned how Morgan ended up with the kitchen knife.

Detective: “So, how did you get the knife from Anissa?

Morgan Geyser: “She sort of just shoved it into my hands… and there it was! And then I didn’t know what I did. It just sort of happened. It didn’t feel like anything. It was like air.”

When the girls were asked how they persuaded Payton into the woods…

Morgan Geyser: “We said we were going to go bird watching. People who trust you become very gullible, and it was sort of sad.”

Nine hours of interrogation tapes were released…maybe 10 minutes worth have been quoted. That’s chilling; these are twelve year old girls who will potentially be tried as adults for attempted murder & face 65 years in prison.

I am rarely at a loss for words but this about silences me. I believe if there is one thing I can take from this, is hope that every single parent is on the same page when I say:

Your children are not entitled to privacy.

[via: cbsnews.com]Technology is so vast – Parents need to know how their kids are using it.

When your kid is over at a friend’s house, look in their room. After they go to bed, look in their phone. Why? …Why not? Snooping is a privilege that’s handed down for giving life; seems like a fair trade.

I’m going to become an advocate for parental rights. Stand up to your children, do not worry about their feelings when it comes to privacy. Have confidence that if your kid winds up doing something crazy… the police aren’t going to find satanic drawings & voodoo dolls in their bedroom.

[via: scienceofrelationships.com]If you happen to stumble across some questionable items… ask. Open that thing called….what is it? Oh yeah… conversation.

Maybe it’s not Slenderman.

Maybe it’s not something 100% obvious – just talk.

You need to know if your person, that you are responsible for is getting into things they shouldn’t be. You need to know who they’re spending their time with; get to know the parents of your children’s friends…

I followed this case and it was disturbing from the very beginning. Parenting today requires several layers of concern. Social media has changed the playing field and the inattentiveness of many parents who are either too busy, overworked or detached from what’s going on in the lives of their children have allowed too many young people to find other avenues to explore without any form of guidance or control.